New premier to keep old economics team: senior political source

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Taiwan's new premier, Su Tseng-chang (???), will be keeping on the economics and finance team from the previous Cabinet, but will make changes in other ministries and departments, a senior political source said Friday.

According to the source, the new premier's first priority will be to boost Taiwan's economy, and he has asked the four ministers who make up the team if they are willing to stay on their jobs.

Finance Minister Su Jain-rong (???), Economics Minister Shen Jong-chin (???), National Development Council chief Chen Mei-ling (???) and Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Wellington Koo (???) have all expressed to Su their desire to continue in their positions, the source said.

Chen said in a statement that Su was her old boss and has promoted her in the past. Former Premier Lai Ching-te (???), whom Su will replace, also wanted her to continue in her post to carry out some of his planned policies, including turning Taiwan bilingual, she said.

In another change, former Taichung Mayor Lin Chia-lung (???) wrote on Facebook that he has accepted the role of transportation and communications minister.

Lin thanked President Tsai Ing-wen (???) and Su for the opportunity to again serve society, his said in a Facebook post.

Like Su, Lin suffered defeat in Taiwan's local elections on Nov. 24, 2018, losing his bid for re-election in Taichung to Kuomintang challenger Lu Shiow-yen (???).

Meanwhile, sources said Chen Chi-mai (???), the Democratic Progressive Party candidate who ran and lost the mayoral race in Kaohsiung last year, is expected to be the new vice premier.

Chen served three terms as a lawmaker and had previously assumed positions such as DPP deputy secretary-general, Cabinet spokesman and deputy secretary-general to the President.

The new Cabinet secretary-general is expected to be former Acting Tainan Mayor Li Meng-yen (???).

Meanwhile, Science and Technology Minster Chen Liang-gee (???) will take over as education minister, another senior political source said.

The position has been vacant since former Minister Yeh Jiunn-rong (???) tendered his resignation on Dec. 25, 2018 after taking the controversial step of giving the go-ahead to National Taiwan University (NTU) to appoint Kuan Chung-ming (???) as NTU president.

The government had held back approval for nearly a year, a position that cost the two education ministers who preceded Yeh their jobs.

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